Come What May
by LunasInSilver
Summary: Bella and Edward are happy with their lives. What happens when they discover they share cheating spouses? AH cc possibly a bit ooc Rated mature just to leave me latitude.


I don't own Twilight, just this little plot bunny that plays with Ms. Meyer's characters. I also own my own characters that may be encountered in the course of my tale. No infringement is intended on anyone.

^CWM^

Chapter 1

Empty. It was a feeling I knew well. Loneliness had become a frequent companion of late. I stared with unseeing eyes as I inserted the elegant diamond studs in my ears. The expensive champagne silk of my dress whispered around me with my movements. Champagne was his preferred color on me, and I once again, obediently, swathed myself in what I considered colorless elegance. I critically examined the image in the mirror, looking for the flaw, anything that might crack the appearance I was required to present tonight. The dress was a loose v wrap, with a matching v down my back. Sheer panel drapes across my shoulders and sides added the illusion of modesty and flow. A 4-carat diamond wedding ring graced perfectly manicured hands, also champagne with french tips. A teardrop pendant and light chain bracelet completed my accessories. Turning my head, I inspected my hair, done up in a french roll, my hair draped across my forehead from the off-center part. It was certainly a far cry from the artless and loose waves I preferred. Nude lipstick sucked all the natural color from my cheeks and lips and left flawless and artificial makeup perfection behind. I gave myself my patented and brilliant smile. The smile I'd perfected over years of marriage, the one designed to hide the emptiness and loneliness. The one that never reached my eyes.

I reminded myself to be excited, and I was. Tonight I'd spend several hours on Mike's arm, my talented and ambitious husband. That his work was consuming nearly all of his time, was something I'd long been prepared to endure. Mike had risen to senior partner of his father's firm when his father, Mike Sr., took a leave of absence upon his own rise to state congressman. Then when Mike Jr. stepped up to being his father's chief of staff, my time with him disappeared. While I accepted this, it didn't change the resulting loneliness.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy. I love Mike with an insanity, we have a glorious house, a smaller and much-beloved beach house, and Mike's income allows me to live in the manner I could not have even dreamed as a starry-eyed teen imagining life beyond the small two-story house of my divorced father. When the loneliness starts to become too much, I remind myself that once the dust settles, Mike's time will free up and the stress to our marriage will heal. We'll go back to being Mike and Bella, blissfully happy.

Satisfied that I passed muster for the evening, I crossed the hall into my own study. I have a few minutes before Mike came home to escort me to the benefit, and I had time to bang out part of that chapter I'd been playing with in my mind. Writing was my release and sanctuary, allowing me to loose myself in the lives of my characters and set any troubles I had aside. With a sigh I didn't even notice, I once again skimmed what I'd previously written and then let the words flow.

I'd so lost myself that I actually jumped when Mike's voice rang off the stairs. "Bella? Aren't you ready yet?"

"In here, Mike."

"You need to hurry, otherwise we'll have a hard ti..." Mike stopped when he reached our bedroom. Spinning, he looked into my study. "Oh. You are in here." I didn't fail to notice the displeasure on his face, but blew it off as being irritation at the threat of being late. I automatically hit Ctrl-S, even as I pushed to rise to my feet.

"Of course. I just need my wrap and clutch and I'm ready. It's all downstairs."

"Well, hurry up then. I absolutely can't be late, I have to be there before Dad arrives." I hurried down the stairs, lightly grasping the railing to keep my balance. It would be far later that it would hit me that Mike never once grasped my elbow like he once did, in a show of courtesy and concern. Just like it wouldn't hit me until much later that he didn't have to change clothes, he was already dressed. Nor did it occur to me to wonder why he didn't greet me or compliment me or do any one of a thousand little things normal to couples reunited after a hard day or week at work. No, tonight, my only concern was making sure I didn't make us late and relief that while I was with Mike, my loneliness was gone. My happiness was unflawed.

^CWM^

While I'm still writing Someone To Watch Over Me, this little story just wouldn't let me go. So, I'm doing what I said I wouldn't and writing two stories at the same time. I hope you enjoy.


End file.
